


All I Wanted Was a Fish

by FishingforCrows



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-04-27 04:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5033122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FishingforCrows/pseuds/FishingforCrows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A studious, but lonely, math major buys a rabbit for companionship. But his furry, little friend isn't all that he seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Trip to the Pet Store

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by this picture:
> 
> http://ifunny.co/fun/Iilc0fLt2
> 
> And by my friend Nate.

“A fish? Why the hell would you want a fish?” Hikaru asked with a skeptical, but bemused, look on his face at hearing what Drasko would be heading off to buy after leaving the café they were currently seated at.

“I don’t know… they’re nice to look at. It will give me something pretty to watch when I’m up at one o’clock in the morning, pouring over textbook after textbook. ” The shy math major responded with a shrug and a smile. Hikaru and Elliot shared an amused smirk at their younger friend who seemed fairly invested in his sugary, creamy excuse for coffee.

“Drasko, I assure you that despite the staggering numbers of bacteria and viruses being passed around college towns, it won’t kill you to get out once in a while.” Elliot pointed out almost caustically, but with a teasing, good-natured smile. This drew a startled look from the young man in question. “We practically have to drag you out just to get you to leave your dorm and join civilized society, despite the fact that it’s obvious that you’re bored and lonely. And yet, rather than trying to meet anyone on your own, anyone at all, you’re going to buy a fish. A boring little animal that just swims around a tank. You can’t even cuddle it, and it certainly can’t provide you with warmth and love. You know, humans do need affection to thrive, and I have the peer-reviewed scientific studies to prove it!”

That had Drasko blushing right up to the roots of his blond hair with embarrassment. A fact he tried to hide by taking another big sip so his coffee cup was in front of his face. Hikaru laughed at him, balling up his paper napkin and tossing it at his friend. "Hey don't go all quiet on us kid! He's just telling ya the truth." He drawled, picking up his own green tea to take a drink of it.

"Well... Well I think fish are loveable. They're pretty and you can get them to chase a pen light around." Drasko huffed indignantly in response. "And besides, fish are easy. I don't have the time or the space to care for something warm and cuddly."

"People are warm and cuddly and usually take care of themselves ya know." Now it was Drasko's turn to chuck the napkin back at Hikaru for his dry comment, sending the cheeky chemist into another round of laughter while Drasko just kept on blushing bashfully. While all of this was going on Elliot's phone buzzed in his pocket, and though he would rather watch and laugh at his ridiculous friends, he pulled it out and stepped away to answer it. 

"Sorry to cut this delightful little lecture short, but," He held up his phone when he stepped back to the table "that would be Daniël saying he's done with work and asking, quite pitifully, if we ever plan on coming back."

“I guess that’s that then.” Hikaru stood up as well, getting ready to leave with his redheaded companion. “Look kid, I hope ya listen to us. It’s not healthy for ya to shut yerself away from the rest of the world. And yer going to figure out eventually that ya need more than a fish for company. Either that or yer gonna go completely insane.” He grinned and shrugged his shoulders, leaving it in Drasko’s hands. The younger man just looked down at the table, tilting his coffee back and forth pensively.  
“Am I ever going to get to meet this elusive Dan room mate you two are always talking about?” Deciding it would be more comfortable to refrain from commenting on Hikaru’s advice, Drasko didn’t look up. A heavy sigh came from Elliot and he shook his head echoed by an eye roll from Hikaru. The two of them said their goodbyes and walked off together, leaving Drasko alone with his thoughts and his coffee.

They were an odd pair. A man less than five and a half feet tall, with the aesthetic of an Asian punk rocker, but the brain to rival some of the most reputable chemists in the world, and a southern accent to rival the most reputable country singers. On top of all that, he paired off with a ginger doctor from Scotland who was covered head to toe and in freckles, with such a dark sense of humor that if he used it with his patients he might be sued for malpractice on the grounds that he’d surely give someone a heart attack. Definitely the strangest couple he knew.

Stranger still, someone as shy as Drasko had chosen them to be two of his closest friends on the limited list of friends he had. Although, he guessed in context it wasn't as weird as it could be. Despite majoring in math, every freshman at his school, regardless of major, needed a science credit. And of course rather than go for something easy like geology, or "rocks for jocks" as it was known amongst the student body, he had wanted something challenging and interesting which led him to choose a chemistry course. 

Despite knowing more about chemistry than your average student, having an eidetic memory and a love of books has its benefits; he struggled immensely in the course. The reason being that this particular class had the students more often than not working in groups, causing him to be too anxious of letting his partners down to really pay attention or absorb any of the information. While he did fine in labs where he followed the procedures with extreme carefulness so as not to anger his group, by the time the test rolled around he realized that he was completely lost on the concepts. If it hadn’t been for the teacher’s aide noticing that he barely spoke in class and generally looked like he was afraid of his own shadow, and asking him if he needed help, he probably would have failed his exams. That teacher’s aide ended up being the only person he spoke more than a few words to in the class despite the somewhat offputtingly intense passion he showed towards his subject and his odd looks. That teacher’s aide, of course, was Hikaru.

After the semester was over Drasko had been so grateful for the help, he wrote Hikaru a three-page long thank you letter and bought him a beaker mug and a t-shirt that said ‘chemists have all the solutions’. Hikaru, finding it hilarious, assured Drasko that it wasn’t as big of a deal as he was making it and invited him to meet up some time as friends. Soon enough Leech was invited along to meet the ridiculous student who gave Hikaru his favorite shirt, and Drasko found himself with two very genuine and interesting people to call friends.

Drasko came back to reality after a minute, taking his coffee with him and heading to the bus stop. It was a ten-minute bus ride before getting to the street where the pet shop was. He got out and walked up to ‘Live long and Paws-Purr’ smiling at the happy puppies leaping over each other in the window. It was a cute little independent shop that sold just about any kind of animal a person could want. The little old lady who ran the shop came up to him with a smile on her face. She had thick glasses with lavender frames and stripes of black in her cheek length white hair. 

"Can I help you with something today my dear?" 

"Yes um... Could you point me in the direction of the fish?"

"I'll do you one better dear, follow me and I'll help you find just the right little critter for your fish bowl." She waved for him to follow after her as she started to walk at a surprisingly fast pace down one of the aisles toward the back of the store. They passed a plethora of cats, birds, hamsters, chinchillas, lizards, and even snakes on the way. But out of all the various creatures the passed, Drasko's eyes met and locked with the big black eyes of a floppy-eared rabbit with fluffy black fur that lightened to grey in places. It twitched its little nose at him and he could swear that its fuzzy little face was sizing him up as if the tiny creature was trying to determine what kind of person he was. The shop owner, Milly, according to her nametag, took a second to realize that her customer had stopped following her. However, her confused expression turned to a grandmotherly smile when she saw why the young man hand stopped. "Do you want to hold him?" 

Drasko jumped slightly, blushing at his own ridiculousness and laughing. "Oh... No I shouldn't really..."  
"Why shouldn't you?" She had a little bit of a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her lips and she raised a questioning eyebrow. 

"I guess it really couldn't hurt to pick the little guy up...."

She chuckled and walked over to the small fenced-in bunny enclosure and leaned down slowly to pick up the little black rabbit. It hopped away from her hands nervously and she tutted disapprovingly. "Oh come now, don't be like that." She was faster with her next attempt, and the rabbit also seemed a little more resigned to being picked up, so she was able to grab him gently and scoop him up carefully. Her curious customer had been peering over from a few feet away and she waved him over and offered the furry creature to him. 

"Now be very gentle, dear. Rabbits are fragile and this one is a little bit wary of people." Drasko was reluctant to take him and he seemed equally reluctant to be transferred to this strange college student's arms. But Milly was not having any of their nonsense and used one hand to grab Drasko's wrists and shape his arms like a cradle, and the other arm that was cradling the rabbit to deposit it in his arms.

"Oh... Um... Geez..." Drasko couldn't be sure if this was normal, he knew rabbits were skittish creatures but he had never held one before, but this rabbit's eyes seemed more wide and panicked than they should be. "Don't... Don't worry little guy... I'm not going to hurt you... I promise..." He said softly, looking rather panicked himself, not knowing how to soothe this little creature's fear. Carefully, he used his one index finger to pet the bunny's snout and forehead. The rabbit responded, closing his eyes and twitching his nose in a way that seemed positive. When Drasko cautiously scratched his ears, the little bunny seemed to turn in to a relaxed little puddle, starkly different from how he had been seconds before. "Aaaw..." Drasko smiled and cooed at how cute it was. 

Milly watched, trying to hide how pleased she was and not doing a very good job considering she was beaming ear to ear. "You know... A fish doesn't care if it's in a store tank or a tank in a house... But a little guy like this, could really use a loving home." 

There was a very long silence as the tall young man just stared down at the tiny little rabbit, his blond hair hiding his face from the storeowner. 

"I'll take him."


	2. A Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pet's don't just need food, water, and a place to poop, they need attention too. Unfortunately, some of Drasko's old habits start interfering with that, leaving one sad little bunny in their wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! To anyone who happened to stumble upon this story, I would really appreciate comments! I'm very new to this and am desperate for feedback; positive or negative! I'll even try to respond to all of them! So do a sad sailor a favor and leave your thoughts?

“I went to the store today to buy a fish… meet Fish.”

After sending the picture he took of his newly christened rabbit via snapchat, Drasko slid his phone into his pocket once again. He happily flopped forward on to his belly so that he was face to face with his little bunny friend. Fish hopped closer to him cautiously, sniffing at him curiously and tickling Drasko’s face with his whiskers. Reaching out slowly so he wouldn’t scare the rabbit, Drasko pet his little head, scratching his ears the way he had liked in the store. The little black bunny melted in exactly the same way he had in the store, relaxing and flicking his ears contently. “Oh you are so cute! I love you so much you little cutie,” The blond cooed, completely entranced by his pet’s cuteness. He leaned down and kissed Fish on the nose causing the bunny to hide his face with his paws as if he were embarrassed, only further melting Drasko’s heart.

Unfortunately his phone buzzing to alert him that someone had responded to his picture interrupted their cute moment. Drasko rolled on his back, pulling out his phone to look at it. Then he scooped up Fish and put him on his chest, enjoying the warmth and the rapid little heartbeat on him. He looked at the message and saw that it was from Hikaru which was a picture of his laughing face and read; “Warm and cuddly. Called it.”.

Drasko laughed and was going to respond but he got a message from Leech before he could. He opened that one to see a picture of a notepad with Leech’s handwriting on it. “Proud of you, in spite of how ridiculous you are.”

“Looks like you’re a hit with my friends Fish.” He cooed happily, petting Fish gently on his back, smoothing down the silky black fur there. It was hard for him to believe he could already love something so much after only getting him that afternoon. He assumed that was just how it was with pets. They were cute, easy to please, and treated anyone with food and cuddles like god. All those things seemed true about Fish. Or at least, they seemed true when it came to his new owner. However on the bus ride home, the little black rabbit had refused to let anyone pet him, and there were a plethora of people who asked. As soon as a hand that wasn’t Drasko’s came near him, he would shoot back to the corner of his little wire cage and Drasko would have to inform whoever was trying to pet him that he was shy.

Even with his persistent skittishness, the lonely college student loved his new bunny instantly and unconditionally. Every time he looked into his trusting, but still nervous, little eyes, all he wanted to do was hold him close and keep him safe until the end of time. Perhaps that thought was a tad overdramatic, but it was just how he felt.

A few days later Drasko had outfitted his dorm with everything one might need to have a rabbit live a healthy and happy life. His life was becoming happier and healthier as well, as his friends relentlessly pointed out to him. Now the hours spent studying were broken up by grooming sessions and snuggly naps, he even taught Fish how to chase and toss a rag around. As a result, his general mood went from frazzled and overworked to cheerfully persistent, and his physical health took a turn for the better as well. He started to contently settle in to the life of a happy pet owner who just happened to also be trying to earn a degree.

Little did he know that this blissful coexistence he was growing accustomed to was about to go through a serious upheaval.

It all started with a curious observation. A little hint of the stranger things to come. Drasko noticed, about two weeks after bringing home his new bunny friend, though he might close the rabbit in one room before he left for class, he would find him in another, looking innocent as could be, both doors still firmly closed. The question of how such a little creature without any fingers could accomplish this was one that he turned over in his head for hours but eventually had to chalk up to Fish being a very, very clever rabbit. This was the strangest of them, but there were other oddities as well. If Drasko got too wrapped up in studying to eat dinner, he’d find a bowl of cereal that he couldn’t remember making out on the counter for him. As the days got colder, he would find a sweater hung by the door before he even woke up, as if someone was afraid it would be forgotten. He chalked all of this up to him slowly developing dementia, but the idea that something more was going on couldn’t help but eat at the back of his mind.

All of this was pushed from his mind as his midterm exams drew closer and he built himself a fort of textbooks that he exited less and less frequently as time went on. He of course, still took diligent care of Fish, but didn’t take nearly as much time to cuddle and dote on him as he had before. As a result, Fish seemed to grow melancholy, often lying listlessly in the corner and only eating when he was thoroughly coaxed to do so. That is, excluding the time he was suddenly over taken by the urge to climb the stacks of books, all the way up to the desk where Drasko was working, so that he could dramatically flop his little body down on to his studious owner’s notes in a desperate plea for the attention he so yearned for. This sent Drasko into a fit of laughter that lasted a solid two minutes and ended with him snuggling his rabbit for as long as the little creature seemed to want.

Unfortunately for Fish, after that brief interlude, Drasko almost immediately fell back into his studying, his old habits rearing their ugly heads.

   
Fish wasn’t the only one who was concerned with Drasko’s behavior it seemed. As the more the diligent mathematics major receded into his world of numbers, the more Hikaru and Elliot called him, pleading with him to come out and enjoy the outside world. It didn’t work of course. Every time he answered the phone, Drasko would promise to come out next time and lie that of course he had been eating and sleeping enough.

However it was no surprise to them when they arrived at his dorm and Drasko opened the door bleary-eyed and disoriented, making it obvious that his assurances were lies.

“Damn it kid!” Hikaru exclaimed when he saw the state Drasko was in. “Do you listen to a single word we say?” He asked with a huff of frustration. The younger man in front of him swayed on his feet, his only response was an apologetic look as he hung his head. All Hikaru could do was sigh and Elliot, for his part, kept his lips in a tight frown with strongly disappointed eyes. “C’mere you.” With that Hikaru grabbed Drasko by his arms, Elliot following suit and grabbing his feet so they could literally drag him out of his dorm.

Leaving Fish behind, staring at the door in a way that could only be described as longing.


	3. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lectures are given and a very important discovery is made.

“Drasko, you have to take care of yourself!” Hikaru’s voice had gotten progressively louder with every beer he had since they arrived at the bar, Drasko slung between the two of them. The victim of their friendly, well-intentioned kidnapping sat with an almost empty plate that had contained a burger and fries. Eliot protested stuffing their friend with greasy food as his first meal after not eating regularly for so long, but it was the closest option and their arms had started to tire after carrying their friend across some decidedly large city blocks to try and find a restaurant that was suitable. 

“I know but… I’ll be able to take much better care of myself when I’ve passed all my midterms.” Drasko insisted quietly, staring down at the remnant piece of lettuce on his plate. 

“Bull shit.” Elliot stepped in after a long period of silence from him. He was quite drunk by this point as well. As a result, he seemed to forget what personal space was and clapped an arm around Drasko’s shoulders. ”You never take care of yourself, I swear. Out of all my patients-“

“I’m not your patient.”

“Out of ALL my patients, you are the only one I have ever had that actually just forgets to take care of yourself. You don’t actively do anything dangerous or stupid, you just can’t be trusted to do the simplest of things! It’s ridiculous! I need to have somebody watching you all the damn time!” Leech’s frustration came through in his voice and the deep furrows in his freckled brow. He stared at Drasko’s face intensely; trying to make sure his message got through despite the latter’s desperate attempts to guiltily avoid eye contact. “You can’nae live alone anymore! You need someone looking after you! I won’t have you doing this to yourself anymore! I don’t care if you have to come and live Dan, Hikaru, and I! We’ll take ya in! We like ya!” Gradually he got more and more impassioned before dissolving into a barely coherent rant that was thick with slurred plans to adopt the ailing college student. 

Finally as the night wound down, Drasko got his inebriated friends to part with their wallets so he could pay the tab. Then he nobly called them a cab and sent them on their way home. He honestly was a little glad to see them go as they had started to get pretty handsy with each other as they waited for the taxi. Drasko pitied the poor driver who was probably going to see some things he didn’t want to see happening in his backseat as he drove the two of them home.

Thus, the persevering Drasko, still in his pajamas from earlier, wandered down the dark city streets back to the student residence building. His waifish body hardly protected him from the cold, especially without any jacket to speak of. So he used all the speed his lanky legs could provide him until he reached home, and still he came through the door shivering. It was much later than he’d usually get in, he was far from a party animal. Seeing such a familiar place at such an unfamiliar hour gave him a surreal feeling that he couldn’t explain, it was almost like a chill ran through him. The feeling only intensified when he touched the metal of his doorknob and got ready to unlock the door. There was a reluctance in him that he couldn’t explain. 

When he saw what was on the other side of the door, he wished he had trusted that feeling. 

The thing that stood before him he could only describe as near human. If you had described the omnivorous mammals that rule the earth to someone who’d never seen them before, then told them to create one, they might produce the approximation Drasko saw before him. It wasn’t ugly, or wretched in any sense of the word, it was just off. Just not correct. Not how humans are supposed to look. With its slightly too long torso, its thick, shiny, black hair that almost had a blue shine to it and fell around his shoulders and the pointed ears that stuck out from it. It looked like Drasko had caught him in the middle of attempting to read one of his many books as the creature had an open tome clutched in its long, double jointed fingers. When the door creaked open it whipped around to stare wide-eyed at its discoverer. One dark brown, and one bright violet staring directly into Drasko’s own. In all its otherworldliness, it somehow possessed a strange, terrifying, beauty that went beyond words. If he had to name it, he would say the thing in front of him must be some sort of elf or faery of a long forgotten legend. 

And just like that, in a mere instant, less time than it took Drasko to blink, the thing was gone. The book it had been holding clattered to the floor and a tan, distorted blur flashed through the air until all that was left was the abandoned book and a shivering, terrified, Fish the rabbit. Staring up at his human with the inexplicably accurate look of someone who has just been caught in a very big lie.


	4. A Very Long Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of such an important discovery runs into the early morning and leaves all involved exhausted and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long since I posted a chapter! Sorry to anyone who cares!

Drasko learned a very important lesson that night. 

He learned that when you call Animal Control, sobbing, tell them there’s some terrifying mystery creature in your room, and all they find is a grown man cowering in the hallway, hiding from his pet rabbit, you will be taken to the police station. He also learned what it’s like to be breathalyzed. And drug tested. And what it’s like to have to wait in a holding cell while the police call someone to pick you up. Looking back, Drasko learned a lot of things that night. A lot of things he didn’t want or expect to learn that night. 

Coincidentally, that was also the night he met Dan. 

When one of the officers asked the traumatized young man “So…. who should we call to come get you?” he provided Hikaru’s number. Even though he knew, judging on how his friend had left the bar, that Hikaru would be in no state to come collect him, he was the only person Drasko could think of. His list of friends was limited, the only two he’d be comfortable calling so late were Hikaru and Leech, and his dad lived hours away from the city. 

So he was surprised when that same officer let him out of the cell, telling him his ride had arrived, and the person who was waiting for him in the next room was not his short, green-haired, teaching assistant. Instead, there stood the anti-Hikaru. A man who had to be pushing seven feet tall, if he hadn’t reached it already, with short cropped blonde hair and blue eyes, all on top of a build that suggested that he could lift up most average sized cars with ease. Though Drasko didn’t recognize his face, he did recognize his uniform. He had the comfortingly familiar bright yellow polo and black windbreaker of a campus security guard from his university. He looked extremely concerned for the young man the officer brought to him. “You’re… Dragomir? Drasko? Right?” He asked, as though trying to ensure he had the right person. 

“Y...yeah… Who are you?” Drasko asked in return staring up at him incredulously with a hint of uncertainty and fear in his eyes. 

“I’m Dan.” Dan said, offering one massive hand in an surprisingly formal and polite manner. Not wanting to be rude, Drasko took it and gave it a half hearted shake. “Hikaru might have talked about me I’m him and Elliot’s… Roommate.” The way he paused before saying ‘roommate’, as if it weren’t the correct word, was odd, but Drasko was in no state to even notice it. 

“Yeah, they’ve mentioned you to me quite a few times.” He informed Dan, still looking at him warily. With that, Dan gave a gruff nod and talked to the officer for a few minutes before they were released to go on their way. Dan showed him to his car and they shared a rather awkward few minutes of silence for the first portion of the drive. 

“So,” The monosyllabic word the security guard provided hung in the air uncomfortably before a sentence finally followed it. “From what I hear you’re not the, uh… Rowdy type usually. How did you end up at the police station exactly?”  
His temporary charge shifted uncomfortably at that question, not sure how to explain himself. “I… I saw something in my house. I must have just been hallucinating or something… from exhaustion.” His eyes shifted furtively downward with the lie.

“What did you see?” Dan’s voice did not sound condescending or like he was humoring the younger man, and that was encouraging to Drasko. 

“An… animal.”

“An animal?” Once again, there was no doubt or hostility in his tone. “What kind of animal?” Shockingly enough, he seemed perfectly ready to believe what Drasko had to say. It was a refreshing attitude from anyone he’d dealt with thus far when he tried to explain it. 

“Something… I can’t even explain it. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.” And with the sense of belief and reassurance that he felt from his rescuer, he ended up telling him everything. He couldn’t help it, the story just spilled from his mouth. Every last detail of what happened and what he saw, down to all the slight disturbances he’d been feeling for weeks now as things seemed to move around his house at their own will. 

“And…it turned into the rabbit?” Dan asked, for a good couple of minutes prior to this question his mouth had been hanging slack-jawed in shock. 

“I know! I know it sounds ridiculous but I’m telling you that’s what it looked like to me!” The pitch of Drasko’s voice raised with the sudden panic of the idea that perhaps Dan actually didn’t believe him and had just been humoring his crazy delusions. 

“I’m not questioning you, that’s just a lot to wrap my head around.” Dan responded diplomatically before falling into a deep thoughtful silence. “If you think it would be any help… I could walk you up to your room and then take the rabbit back down with me to keep at the guard station for the night. Even if you were,” He paused as if he were running through all the words he knew and trying to pick the one that would least offend the person he was trying to comfort. “mistaken, it might help not to have it there while you try to rest.” 

The look of pure, absolute gratitude on Drasko’s face was that of some poor soul who had just been pulled from the precipice of hell, rather than someone who had just been offered a pet-sitter for the night. At once he shot over the console between the two front seats to give Dan an awkward, though decidedly adorably gracious, hug. 

***

Shortly thereafter, they were off, past the check-in desk where Dan greeted the sleepy upperclassman behind the desk, and into the elevator. Dan barely fit through the doors and Drasko had the fleeting fear that the security guard actually might set off the weight limit. He didn’t of course, because as the exhausted student reminded himself, Dan only looked like he was made of stone on the outside. They reached Drasko’s door and the colorful name tag taped to the door stared back at him mockingly as he imagined the terrifyingly outlandish creature that it was hiding behind it’s wooden curtain. His hand shook as he reached toward the handle at a pace so painfully slow that it even put his accompanying guard’s stoic nerves on edge. The tension reached a palpable point before finally snapping as Drasko threw the door open, cringing as though he were expecting a brutal attack. 

But there was no such event. The door swung open to a thick silence and an empty room. The only sign of life was the tremoring shadow that peaked out from under the bed, looking at the pair of them with big, round, pathetic eyes, filled to the brim fear. While Drasko stood locked in place, Dan passed easily through the invisible barrier in the doorway and into the darkened room. He crouched down and reached one giant hand under the bed to try and grab the panicked rabbit. Of course, this prompted Fish to shoot backwards even further, evading the intrusive and large being that was inexplicably in his home. This process repeated several times until Dan was shoulder deep under the bed and finally decided to try and lift the furniture to obtain the creature. 

“No!” 

Drasko finally darted into the room, whatever had held him back suddenly shattered by the jarring thought of the giant accidentally squishing his poor rabbit. “It’s...i-it’s alright Dan… You don’t have to do that.” He cleared his throat and clenched his fists to try and seem like he was more in control of his faculties. “Thank you for all your help, you’ve been more than kind… But I think… I have to be mistaken. There’s no point in risking… crushing him.” 

“Sure.” Dan agreed simply after a long silence where he appeared to be considering whether to trust that the young man in front of him could really handle himself. After that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled receipt and grabbed a pen from the desk to scribble a phone number on to it and hand it off to Drasko. “But if you need any help or you don’t feel safe, give me a call.” He instructed him with the utmost sincerity, an almost paternal concern on his face. Dan, it seemed, was just a very gentle giant. 

They said goodbye and Dan left to go back to his own home, leaving Drasko alone with his rabbit and his thoughts. Carefully, he crouched beside the bed, holding his open hands underneath it until he felt fur brush against them. Fish had nervously crawled between his open palms. Drasko extracted him and looked down at him pensively. He stared into the two near-black little pools that displayed just as much fear as he had inside himself and sighed. A sigh that was a mixture of frustration and resignation. How could he possibly abandon this creature that had depended on him so fully, had looked to him for protection and care. Fish looked so helpless as he shivered in his hands. The powerless, sweet, little bunny in front of him couldn’t have been that thing. That foreign, distorted, wondrous, and surreal thing. The pale, luminesce figure he had seen had to be his own disturbed imagination playing tricks on him after being deprived of anything but equations for so long. This was his rabbit. This was his darling pet. His benign, fluffy, little Fish.


End file.
